


Thank You For Today

by Akiko_Natsuko



Series: BixFreed [8]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Comfort, Established Relationship, Exhaustion, Fairground, Fluff, Friendship/Love, M/M, Overworking, Sleepiness, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-08-20 18:57:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16561427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Akiko_Natsuko
Summary: It has been two days since Freed has been home, overworking himself in the guild library again and Bickslow has had enough. Thankfully Freed has yet to learn how to properly say no to him, and the Skeith mage has every intention of using that to his advantage.





	Thank You For Today

    Bickslow grumbled under his breath as he headed towards the guild. He was well aware that the Master relied on Freed when it came to translations, especially as Levy was currently away on a job with her team, and that the current project was an important one. However, that didn’t mean that he was going to sit back and watch his stubborn boyfriend work himself into the ground. It had been two days since the Rune mage had last been home, and their bed was depressingly empty without Freed curled around him, hell he even missed having to fight for even a scrap of their covers. There had been no silly little notes left around the house, no books to fall over and as much as he didn’t mind eating and hanging with Evergreen, he missed Freed’s quiet and dry wit _. I miss him…_

   The question was how to pull Freed away from his work. He had learned from painful experience that if he approached it in the wrong way, then he would either wind up trapped in a rune cage until Freed was done. Either that or Freed would take his work and disappear somewhere else, and it could take forever to track him down as it seemed as though the Rune mage knew where all the best places to hide were around Magnolia. Snatching his work and hiding it was a definite no-no though, Bickslow had found himself completely banished from the bedroom for two weeks the one, and only time he’d tried that. He’d only been forgiven when Freed had admitted defeat and confessed that he didn’t like being in their bed on his own.

    Sighing, and still no closer to an answer about what to do with his troublesome partner he let himself into the guild and glanced around, part of him hoping to find that someone would have managed to drag Freed out of the library for a small break. However, there was no sign of his partner to be seen, and he grimaced - it was going to be down to him. Squaring his shoulders, he headed towards the library, hoping that Freed was going to be in a mood to listen to him.

“Bickslow!” As he reached the bar, Mira called out to him, rushing across to him and he halted and shot her a questioning look, his gaze flicking towards the library door. He was impatient to get to Freed and the fight that he knew awaited him. “Can you please do something about Freed? He needs to rest, and I don’t think he even ate the food I took through for him.”

“That idiot,” Bickslow muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. As much as he loved the younger man, he did wish he would take better care of himself. The irony is that if he, Evergreen or Laxus ever did anything even remotely similar, the Rune mage would explode at them and fuss around them constantly until he was convinced that they were all right, but trying to return the favour was a minefield at times.

“We tried to tell him…” Mira continued with a sigh, before gesturing helplessly. “But…” It wasn’t the first time she’d had to deal with an overworked Freed, but he had been more stubborn than usual this time, and without Makarov here to back her up there was little that she could do apart from providing refreshments and hoping that he remembered to actually eat and drink.

“Yeah I know,” Bickslow reassured her, guessing from the pained expression that Freed had already reached the irritable stage, which didn’t bode well for his own efforts and he struggled to force a reassuring smile for her sake. “I’m on it.”

    The look of pure relief on her face as she waved him on was both alarming and amusing. The first because he really had no idea how he was going to get Freed to take a break if he had already reached the irritable, snapping stage. But also amusing, because he had noticed that ever since they’d announced their relationship to the guild, everyone had taken to watching their interactions and assumed that he had a good handle on his boyfriend’s moods. _If only they could see the demon I sometimes have to deal with_ , he thought as he opened the library door, although as he slipped inside, he knew that he wouldn’t want them to, as that was a side of Freed that generally only he got to witness. He pushed those thoughts aside as his gaze landed on the sole figure in the library, eyes softening as he took in the hunched posture and the books covering every inch of the table around him and he took a deep breath before heading down the stairs.

_Here goes nothing…_

**

    Freed was vaguely aware of the door opening above him, but he didn’t bother looking to see who it was, hoping that whoever it was would realise how busy he was and leave him alone. He could remember Mira sticking her head in a while ago, and he knew that he would need to apologise to her at some point as he knew that he had snapped at her, even if he wasn’t entirely sure what he had said. _I have to get this done,_ he thought as he stared down at the parchment. It was an old text, and between the bad condition of the book and the age of the language, it was taking far longer to translate than he had anticipated and he groaned as he buried his head in his hands for a moment. His head was beginning to ache, and he was fairly sure the text was making even less sense that it had before. The sensible part of him knew that he should rest and come back to him, but he knew that this was important, and besides the sooner he got it finished the sooner he could spend time with Bickslow without having to worry that he should be working on this.

   Wearily he lifted his head with the intention of continuing, only to jolt back with a startled yelp when he found Bickslow leaning on the other side of the table. _When did he get here?_ Freed was always highly aware of his surroundings, it was a skill he had taught himself to make it easier to protect Laxus and the rest of the Raijinshuu, and he scowled, irritated at himself and bracing himself for whatever Bickslow was about to say as the Seith mage had a usually stern expression on his face. _Don’t look at me like that…_

“Freed…” Bickslow hadn’t missed the startled reaction, well aware of how difficult it was usually to surprise Freed. However, that wasn’t even the primary source of concern at the moment, because Freed looked terrible, paler than usual with large shadows under his eyes, and from the way, he had been gripping his head a moment before he was developing a headache.

“What do you want?” Freed demanded, deciding that it was better to head off the concerned questions that he could see brewing in his partner’s eyes.

“To see my boyfriend,” Bickslow decided to start there, hoping that reminding Freed that they had barely seen each other at all over the last few days would soften him. However, given the way turquoise eyes had narrowed at his words, he had a feeling that argument wasn’t going to work this time.

“Then use your eyes!” Freed snapped before he could stop himself, dreading the thought of trying to work with Bickslow there. Even when the Seith mage was trying to be quiet, he had a habit of still managing to distract the Rune Mage. Still, it had come out far harsher than he had intended…again, and he caught the way that Bickslow flinched at his tone, and the hurt that flickered briefly over the tattooed face and he lowered his gaze as he muttered softly. “I’m sorry…” _What am I doing?_ All he wanted to do was finish his work so that he could go home and curl up with Bickslow, so why the hell was he snapping at the person he wanted to spend time with.

   Bickslow’s expression softened as he watched the emotions passing over Freed’s face, tiredness always lowered the strict barriers the younger man kept around himself, but he had never been this open, and it just proved the fact that he really needed to rest. He hesitated for a moment before circling around the table and crouching down beside the Rune mage, reaching out to rest a gentle hand on Freed’s leg.

“Look at me,” he ordered softly, squeezing gently when the Rune mage didn’t respond quickly enough for his liking and eventually Freed tilted his head just enough to meet his gaze. Up close the Rune mage looked even worse, and with a sigh, he reached up with his free had to cup Freed’s cheek, feeling the way that Freed immediately leant into the touch, almost like it was too much to support his own head any more. _Which is probably true,_ Bickslow admitted as he stared at the exhausted Rune mage, catching the stubborn glint that lingered in the turquoise eyes. “You can’t keep going like this,” he said softly, deciding that there was no point in beating around the bush, after all, Freed must already know why he was here.

“But…”

“I know this is important,” Bickslow cut across him gently, catching the slight waver in his voice and hoping that meant he actually stood a chance of getting the stubborn Rune mage to see sense without too much of a fight for once. “But I also know the Master wouldn’t want you to make yourself ill over it.” If Makarov hadn’t been away at a conference, he knew that the old man would have forced Freed to rest, as he was just as aware of Freed’s tendency to overwork himself as the rest of them. And he knew that Laxus would kick up a storm if one of his Raijinshuu made themselves ill because of a job for the guild.

“I’m fine,” Freed muttered.

“No, you’re not,” Bickslow countered at once, frowning at Freed who had the decency to flush, well aware that he had been caught in a lie. “You haven’t been home in two days, you’ve probably only had an hour or two of sleep at best, you haven’t eaten, and you’re snapping at people. Does any of that sound like you’re fine?”

“No…” Freed admitted reluctantly, somewhat startled to learn that it had been two days since he’d been home. _When did I lose track of time?_ In a way, it was amazing that the Seith mage hadn’t sought him out sooner, as Bickslow was well aware of what he could get like when he was working a project. He worried at his bottom lip as he turned to look at the books and papers scattered around him and the partially done translation. “But…” _I need to finish this…_

“It will still be here,” the Seith mage pointed out quietly, moving his hand so that he could stop Freed from biting at his bottom lip, tracing the Rune mage’s lips with his fingers as he added softly. “No one is going to meddle with it, and no one is going to blame you for needing to rest.” He knew that was one of the reasons that Freed always pushed himself so hard when doing a job for Makarov or the guild in general. He still felt accountable about what had happened during the Battle of Fairy Tail and was still struggling to make amends, seemingly unable to see that everyone had long since forgiven him and were certainly not going to demand that he worked himself into exhaustion. Moving his fingers, he leant up to press a gentle kiss to Freed’s lips, before pulling back with a pleading expression. “Please? I don’t want you hurting yourself.”

“Bickslow…” Freed protested softly, but he could already feel himself caving to that expression and the desperate tone. Besides resting really did sound nice, and he was aware of the fact that he had gradually been sloping more and more towards the Seith mage. Sighing he nodded in agreement, admitting defeat as he leant into the hand that had crept back up to cradle his cheek. “’Kay…”

“Thank you,” Bickslow whispered, making no effort to hide his relief at the other’s surrender. He had been fully prepared to just grab Freed and drag him out of there if it came down to it, especially after seeing the state the younger man was in, but he much preferred to do it this way.

    However, he knew that it wouldn’t take much to reignite the other’s usual stubbornness and he was determined to make sure that Freed didn’t get a chance to start arguing. Taking advantage of Freed’s exhaustion, he rose in a swift movement, carefully lifting the Rune mage out of the chair and into the safety of his arms before Freed even realised what was happening.

“Bickslow,” Freed tried to protest once his sleep-deprived brain had caught up to what the Seith mage had done, but he lacked the energy to try and free himself, apparently admitting defeat had allowed his body to do the same and he could already feel sleep threatening to pull him under. Still, he didn’t want to be carried out of there. Admitting that he needed rest was one thing, needing to be carried home was another, and he curled his fingers into Bickslow’s tunic and tugged, trying to indicate that he wanted to be put down. But it was comfortable and warm…and he could smell Bickslow, the familiar scent that he loved so much and that he had missed after not going home to curl up with his partner, and rather than protesting, he found himself snuggling closer and nuzzling his nose into Bickslow’s shoulder.

“Shh,” Bickslow shushed him, smiling at Freed’s actions and adding softly. “Just go to sleep.” That was an unnecessary instruction as now that he had stopped trying to force his mind to keep working, Freed was fading fast, and he mumbled something that could have been agreement, or a quiet ‘I love you’ before his breathing evened out. “Idiot,” he murmured fondly, shifting Freed into a more comfortable position before heading for the door, determined to get Freed properly tucked up in bed as soon as possible and hopefully keep him here until he was properly rested.

_As if. He’ll be up in a few hours and trying to get back here…_

**

   Thankfully he had managed to get the Rune mage without him stirring once, although that was another sign of just how exhausted he was. As he had learned a long time ago that even when he was asleep Freed seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, or maybe that was just because he knew when Bickslow had been planning mischief and was on the alert for it. Still, he was relieved to have put off any more arguments about getting Freed to rest properly, and Evergreen had taken one look at the pair of them when they’d arrived home before announcing that she would spend the day in the guild so they could have peace and quiet.

   Getting Freed settled and changed into something more comfortable for sleep proved to be a challenge, as now that he was asleep the younger man liked to cling to him and even lying him on the bed hadn’t solved the problem, because he had automatically begun to burrow into the covers. However, eventually, he had managed to at least get the Rune mage down to his shirt and boxers before deciding to leave it at that, as there was too much risk of waking him up. Tucking Freed under the covers, Bickslow rose and headed for the bathroom wanting to have some painkillers on hand in case the headache got any worse, although he hoped Freed would just be able to sleep it off.

   When he returned a couple of minutes later it was to discover that Freed had disappeared under the covers, the duvet completely wrapped around himself, with only his cowlicks ticking out up at the top and he couldn’t hold back a soft chuckle at the sight. _I missed this…_ He remembered Evergreen looking at him oddly when he had said that this was part of what he missed about Freed, but then again she was nearly as bad for stealing the covers, but he had missed it, the bedroom which had seemed so vast and empty when he’d woken that morning felt like home again. With a soft smile, he dumped the medicine on the bedside table and toed off his shoes, before slipping onto the bed and cuddling up behind his partner. Silently counting in his head as he did so and he had barely got to four before he was tackled by the duvet burrito, a sleepy hum escaping from its depths as Freed pressed as close as he could without surrendering the covers.

   Gently he gathered Freed closer, wrapping his arms around the duvet bundle, and nudging material aside until he could see Freed’s head. Ignoring the sleepy protest, he pressed a gentle kiss to newly-mussed hair, before tucking the Rune mage in against himself and resting his head against Freed’s. He didn’t need to sleep, but he had missed this, and he had no intention of shifting until the other mage woke up.

****

Six hours later:

    Bickslow glanced down as he felt Freed finally beginning to stir. He was actually amazed that the Rune mage had managed to stay asleep all the way through, as usually he would manage a couple of hours and then be up and trying to get back to work. Reaching out he switched off the lacrima vision that he had been half-watching on silent for the past hour or so, reluctant to leave Freed’s side, but not fancying any of the dozens of books in their room. Shifting so that he was laid on his side, hovering just over Freed with a soft expression as he listened to sleepy grumbles from the depths of the covers. For all that he was always the first one up, and usually ready to spring into action when it came to waking up from naps, Freed was even harder to rouse than Laxus.

“Don’t laugh,” Freed grouched as he slowly emerged from the covers, pouting up at Bickslow who hadn’t realised that he’d been chuckling and it didn’t help his case when he laughed at the sulky expression, seeing it beginning to shift into a pout he leant in to steal a quick kiss. The scowl fading away as instead it was replaced by a light blush. “Bix…”

“Feeling better?” Bickslow asked, although he already knew the answer. Freed looked brighter than he had earlier, the spark back in the turquoise eyes and there was no sign of the small pain lines that usually appeared when he had a headache that he was trying to keep hidden. Freed seemed to think for a moment before nodding quietly, before cuddling closer with a sigh, nuzzling against Bickslow.

“Much…” He admitted, tilting his head so that he could press a small kiss to the underside of the Seith mage’s chin as he added softly. “Thank you.”

“That’s not something you need to thank me for,” Bickslow scolded him, bopping him gently on the nose, before kissing where he had just hit as he added with a small smile. “But you’re welcome….” He was side-tracked from what else he’d been about to say as a loud rumble rang through the air, and he felt Freed stiffen a moment before the Rune mage blushed brightly, and the Seith mage shot him a knowing look as he recalled Mira’s words from that morning. “Hungry?”

“A little…” The colour in Freed’s cheeks deepened as another rumble, even louder than before rang out and he hung his head with a groan and Bickslow bit his bottom lip to stop himself from laughing at him.

“Come on if you get up and shower, I’ll treat you to dinner,” he said instead, catching the dubious expression from his partner and he stuck his tongue out at Freed as he guessed the reason behind that reaction, before adding hastily. “Out I mean.” He was a decent cook. It was something they had all learned to do so that they could share the burden of dealing with meals when they were on jobs where it wasn’t practical or affordable to eat out all the time, but he had a bad habit of being distracted. Often because Freed was there with him, and as a result, some of his dishes could be a little hit or miss.

“But…”

“Humour me?” Bickslow cut in before Freed could get fully into his protest, and he hesitated for a moment before adding quietly. “Mira locked the library, so your work is safe, and a couple more hours won’t hurt.” He hadn’t actually waited around long enough to ask, but he knew that the Take-over mage was aware of how protective Freed was of his work and she would have probably done something to seal it off even without being asked. _I hope_ …Still, he wasn’t about to regret the little white lie as long as it got Freed to relax for a little while longer.

“Fine,” Freed agreed after a moment, wondering if the Seith mage had realised that he’d adopted the same pleading expression as earlier, or if he was aware of the fact that Freed had yet to find a way to resist that particular expression. _Probably_ …For all that Bickslow spent so much time goofing around and trying to play tricks, he could be frighteningly observant at times, especially when it came to Freed and his wellbeing. Something that had bothered Freed at the start of their relationship, as he wasn’t used to someone being able to see through all his masks and barriers with such accuracy and it scared him to realise that in that sense he was utterly vulnerable around Bickslow. Now though it was as much a part of their relationship as the fact that apart from times like this, he would be the one fussing around Bickslow all the time.

   Bickslow blinked, again shocked by the surprisingly easy agreement and he was quiet as Freed slipped out of the covers, pausing long enough to steal another kiss before padding towards the bathroom. He had half expected Freed to decide to risk his cooking, and he wondered if Freed’s agreement to come out and stay away from his project for a little longer was his way of showing that he knew that he had been working too hard. _That’s probably wishful thinking_ , he told himself sternly. But still, he couldn’t help but contemplate what his chances were of keeping Freed occupied for the rest of the day. A mischievous grin appearing as he vaguely recalled hearing Natsu and the others talking about the fair that had come into Magnolia a couple of days ago and as he heard the distant sound of the shower starting, he settled into plot.

**

   It took nearly an hour for Freed to get ready, the Rune mage insisting on being immaculate before going out and his efforts weren’t being helped by Bickslow who kept trying to hug him and steal kisses, making up for the last two days. Freed grumbled at it, but he made no real effort to shoo him away because if he was honest with himself, he had missed the other man just as much. It just wasn’t helpful when he was trying to tame hair back into a ponytail, and the Seith mage was more interested in carding his fingers through it.

   Finally, though they were ready to go, and Bickslow was finding it hard to curb his excitement as he slipped his hand around Freed’s and pulled him out of the door, surprised when the usually private Rune mage settled for pulling Bickslow’s hand into his pocket to hide the fact that they were holding hands. He knew better than to comment on it though because although Freed was cute when flustered, it would probably result in him pulling his hand away completely. So instead he settled for pressing a chaste kiss to Freed’s temple before guiding him forward, trying not get too carried away, although it was hard as it occurred to him that it was the first time they had been out on a date with just the two of them for well over a month. _Hopefully, that will make him easier to convince,_ he thought as he glanced at Freed’s face. Pleased to see the small, but contented smile playing across the younger man’s face, a stark contrast from the exhausted mage he had found that morning.

_This is my Freed…_

****

   Bickslow found it hard to take his eyes off the other man as they sat in the restaurant. He wasn’t sure whether it was because they had been apart for the last couple of days, the fact that they hadn’t been out for a while. Or his plans to try and keep Freed from going back to his work that evening or a combination of the three, but he found himself wanting to drink in the sight of the partner. It didn’t help that he had noticed more than one interested pair of eyes straying towards Freed, and whilst generally he was the easier going of the two as he knew without a doubt that was one rule that the younger man would never break, it didn’t stop the possessive feeling from curling in his stomach. Or keep the smug smile off his face when Freed paid them no mind at all, instead splitting his attention between Bickslow and the menu.

“What are you looking so smug about?” Freed asked, glancing up and catching the smile on the older man’s face. He had felt Bickslow’s gaze boring into him ever since they had sat down, and had been doing his best to stop himself from turning red as he tried to focus on the menu. It didn’t help that he was reasonably sure the other man was up to something, as he had practically been vibrating with excitement since they’d left the house, but so far he hadn’t spotted anything that would tell him what Bickslow was plotting.

“You.”

“Me?”

“Yep,” Bickslow replied unhelpfully, unsurprised when Freed kicked him lightly under the table, and he merely shifted his legs out of the way, grinning at the frustrated growl that escaped when Freed realised what he had done. Deciding that he better take mercy on Freed if he wanted his plans for later to work out, he struggled to adopt a slightly more serious expression, his voice dropping slightly so that only Freed would hear him. “I’m enjoying the sight, and the jealousy,” he deliberately glanced across at a neighbouring table where two girls were openly staring at Freed, they looked away sheepishly as they caught him looking, and Freed let out a choked noise and promptly turned red when he realised what Bickslow was talking about it.

“Bickslow…” He hissed weakly, struggling not to glance across as he heard the girls giggling at his blushing and he scowled at his grinning partner. “How do you know they’re not looking at you?” He demanded in a low force, an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach at the mere thought of it, and something must have passed across his expression because Bickslow promptly reached out and grabbed his hand.

“Because I can’t look anywhere else,” he said with a grin, half expecting to get hit for a line like that, but instead Freed just seemed to blush even more intently before glancing down.

“Bickslow…”

    While it was clear he was embarrassed, there was a soft, happy smile on his face that remained there throughout the rest of the meal. He didn’t even manage a weak scowl when Bickslow teased him again after their waitress had attempted to flirt with him, and the poor girl might as well have been invisible for all the attention that Freed paid to her. Which allowed Bickslow to focus on keeping that smile in place, although he did have to fight to hold back his own smug smile. _Mine_. They chatted as they ate and he was careful to keep the conversation away from anything remotely related to work or books, perfectly happy to listen as Freed rambled on about the food and whether he would be able to make something similar…and privately looking forward to the meals to come. Dessert brought more fun, as neither of them was good at deciding what they wanted and so they ended up getting several and sharing them between themselves, Bickslow playfully insisting on feeding Freed every mouthful, until the Rune mage lost patience and retaliated by smearing a bit of Ice cream on the end of his nose. Not that it stopped him as Bickslow just licked it off, deliberately staring at Freed as he did so and earning another kick under the table.

   It was worth it though as Freed had relaxed to the point where he was laughing freely, and even better he had eaten more than he usually would at home, especially dessert. It was a well-kept secret, but Freed had a sweet tooth that rivalled Erza’s love of Strawberry cheesecake, only he wasn’t as fussy, although Bickslow had long since learnt that chocolate earnt him extra brownie points and it allowed him to really go to town for Valentine’s day. To prove just how relaxed he was, he didn’t protest when Bickslow paid for the entire meal even though he usually would argue fiercely to pay half and he made no effort to hide the fact they were holding hands as the Seith mage led them out a few minutes later.

**

   His earlier suspicions about what Bickslow was up to returned ten-fold as he realised that he was being led roughly back in the direction of the guild - via a very scenic route. If that weren’t enough to catch his attention, then the almost unnoticeable quivering that was giving away Bickslow’s excitement would have, and he was tempted to ask what was going on. He really needed to get back to work, but at the same time, it was nice to just spend time with his boyfriend that didn’t involve either work or friends. Because as much as he loved Evergreen, sometimes it was nice just to be the two of them, and so he bit back his questions and decided to just go along with it for now.

   As they drew closer to Kardia Cathedral and the large park nearby, he realised that the street was getting busier even though the sky had already started to darken above them. Bickslow was practically vibrating again, and Freed could no longer resist the urge to ask what on earth was going on, turning to shoot the other man the sternest look he could muster.

“Bickslow…”

“Freed Justine,” Bickslow cut him off so smoothly that he must’ve been waiting for Freed to break, moving around so that he was stood in front of the Rune mage as they came to a halt, tightening his hold on Freed’s hand. “Will you go on a date with me?” Freed stood utterly frozen for a moment, before unexpectedly bursting out into a fit of quiet laughter. He wasn’t sure whether it was the childishly hopeful expression on his partner’s face, the absurdity of that question coming at this stage in the evening, or the fact that he had just spotted the sign behind Bickslow that announced that there was a funfair in town. _He really is just a big kid…_ A big kid that he just happened to love, and who had just offered him the perfect excuse to spend more time with Bickslow. He spared a thought for his work, a small guilty feeling in the pit of his stomach,  but then he glanced into pleading crimson eyes, and any notion of denying him fled.

“I suppose so…” He trailed off with a yelp as Bickslow grabbed him in a hug, kissing him heatedly before lifting him up and spinning him around. “Bickslow!” He protested, aware that people were staring at them now, but he couldn’t really be mad when he caught the broad grin on the older man’s face, although he was relieved when he was set down a moment later, even though Bickslow promptly kissed him again. “Idiot…” He muttered, pushing him away gently, but making no protest when the Seith mage caught his hand and tugged him towards the park with a laugh.

“You’re the one that agreed to go on a date with this idiot!” Bickslow pointed out, unable to stop himself from grinning. He hadn’t known what to think when Freed had suddenly started laughing in response to his question, and he certainly hadn’t expected there to be no arguments against it, but he wasn’t going to complain. Nor was he going to give Freed any chance to change his mind, tugging him along towards the park as fast as he could.

“Yeah…”

_I love you too._

**

   The park was lit with strings of brightly coloured lanterns that hung between the trees and tents, casting a warm glow on the area and driving away the approaching darkness. There were stalls set up around the edge of the area, mostly food and carnival games, but a few local vendors had set up shops as well to try and make the most of the extra trading, and the middle area was dominated by the fairground rides. In the distance, they spotted Natsu tugging a reluctant looking Lucy towards one of the food stalls, and it seemed like most of Magnolia had managed to fit itself into the area. Not that Bickslow was complaining as it meant that Freed was holding tightly to his hand and pressing closely against him to make sure that they didn’t get separated.

   He let Freed set the pace because as much as he loved fairs, the whole point of tonight was to spend time with Freed and he was content to see the quiet happiness that had chased away all signs of weariness and stress. They wandered around the perimeter, stopping here and there to study the stalls and Bickslow earned a small kiss to the cheek when he bought some sweets after seeing the Rune mage eyeing them, and after that, he couldn’t keep the broad grin off his face as they moved on. They skirted the beer tent that had been set up, especially after catching sight of Cana already neck deep in a challenge and wanting to avoid getting caught up in it, well aware that they didn’t stand a chance of matching her, and they laughed amongst themselves as they pitied the poor people who thought they could match her.

   Next, they moved onto the carnival games as neither of them was particularly inclined to go on the rides, although Bickslow was hoping that he could convince Freed to go on the Ferris Wheel with him at the end. For the most part, they just watched other people playing the games, as none of them particularly appealed to Bickslow and they had learnt long ago that Freed got way too competitive even over silly games like this. In the end though Freed had given in to temptation on a memory based game after he’d spotted Bickslow eyeing a wooden puppet hung up amongst the prizes, well aware that his partner could easily build something similar and probably better, but wanting to give him something for convincing him to rest and then treating him to this evening. It had taken him a couple of attempts, but eventually, he had got it, handing the puppet over with a shy smile which had blossomed into a blush as Bickslow had forgotten they were surrounded by people and pulled him into a heated kiss.

   His face had still been burning ten minutes later when they came across a shooting range at the end of the far row of stalls. He had never been a fan of shooting games because his skill lay with his sword and he tended to lose spectacularly or get incredibly irritable, or both. However, this time he found himself actually contemplating having a go after spotting the massive bear at the back of the prizes. Normally he wouldn’t have looked twice at it, he was far too practically minded to have any use for soft toys, but this one was an unusual purplish-black colour with red eyes, and all he could think about as he stared at it was Bickslow.

“I…” He turned intending to tell Bickslow that he was going to have a go at winning it, just in time for the Seith mage to let go of his hand and pass him the puppet he had been carrying around, stealing a quick kiss with a grin before striding across to the stall.

    Despite Bickslow’s confident posture and expression, Freed had expected it to take him a few attempts, still slightly surprised by the fact that the Seith mage was playing as he could vaguely remember him saying how boring he found such games the last time they had gone to the fair that came with the Winter festival. Instead, he found himself watching in stunned silence as the older man cleared the game at his first attempt, each shot meeting its target and he felt his mouth dropping open. Although when he thought about it, he shouldn’t have been so surprised because Bickslow’s attacks when he used his puppets were always unerringly on target.

“Got it!” Bickslow was triumphant, grinning unrepentantly at the stall owner who was gaping at him wide-eyed, apparently Freed hadn’t been the only one expecting him to have trouble. If the puppets had been with them Freed knew they would be shooting around and shouting ecstatically, reflecting Bickslow’s mood, and he smiled when the Seith mage glanced at him, biting his lip when the older man turned back as he was asked which prize he wanted. He knew that Bickslow had caught him looking at the bear, but he didn’t know if that was what the older man would choose and he was too embarrassed to say anything and he turned away.

   Only to jump a moment later as Bickslow tacked him from behind, wrapping him in a tight hug while depositing the bear into his arms and pressing a small kiss beneath his ear.

“Did you think I didn’t notice?” He asked, gently teasing and Freed reddened, but still pulled the bear against himself for once not caring about the odd looks they were getting from around them. Another kiss a little lower on his neck had him tilting his head up to peer at the older man, his breath catching at the look of utter devotion he was receiving from the other man.

“What did I do to deserve you?” He asked softly, turning in the circle of Bickslow’s arms, the bear getting squished between them as he leaned up on tiptoes to kiss his partner. “Thank you,” he added breathlessly, pulling back when the older man was threatening to make things a little too heated, reaching up with one hand to stoke Bickslow’s cheek. “For everything.” His hand was caught as he made to pull back, and he swore Bickslow must have set himself a challenge to see how many times he could make him blush as the Seith mage proceeded to press a gentle kiss to each finger and finally the palm of his hand before releasing him as he whispered softly.

“I think that’s my line.” He was well aware of what had drawn Freed to that bear, and that to a certain extent the Rune mage had been catering to his whims by agreeing to come to the fair in the first place, and he closed the distance between them once more. “Thank you,” he whispered before capturing Freed’s lips once more, although this time he kept it deliberately tender, smiling when they pulled back and Freed blinked up at him with soft eyes. “Come on I have more thing I want to do,” he said holding out his hand and grinning when Freed took it, noticing that the younger man was making sure to keep a tight hold of the bear with his other arm as he pulled him away.

**

   Freed already knew where they were heading, as he had caught the Seith mage staring up at the Ferris wheel when he’d thought that Freed was distracted and he wasn’t complaining. It would be a perfect way to end the evening, and it would offer a lovely view over the town which he knew was part of the reason Bickslow wanted to go on it. They both loved staring out over the city when it was lit up for the evening and more than once they had flown up to the top of the guild or cathedral to sit under the stars and look out over the city. He wasn’t able to stop smiling as they joined the queue for the ride, leaning contentedly against Bickslow as they waited and hugging the bear against his chest, a warm, content feeling in his chest as he felt the taller man resting his head against his, unsurprised when it was followed by a gentle kiss to the top of his head. Usually, he would have been protesting so many public displays of affection, but he couldn’t bring himself to after the evening they’d just had.

   It took them a while to reach the front of the queue, and Freed could feel the Seith mage beginning to bounce behind him when they were finally ushered towards their cage. However, he rolled his eyes when the older man made a show of helping him in but allowed him to get away with it this time. He felt a little uneasy at the closed in cage, but that feeling disappeared the moment that Bickslow slid in beside him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He willingly snuggled into the older man with a soft hum of contentment, his work the furthest thing from his mind as the older man pressed a kiss to his temple.

   A couple of minutes the Ferris Wheel began to move again, Bickslow tightening his hold protectively around Freed as the cage lurched for a minute before the ride smoothed out. He had always loved Ferris wheels ever since he was a kid, loving how high you could get while being safe, and even now that he had his own magic that could allow him to get to even greater heights he had never lost that love. However, his gaze shifted to Freed who was staring out of the cage as they rose higher, he had to admit that this ride was probably going to become his favourite, and he leaned in to rest his head on Freed’s shoulder.

“I’m happy,” he muttered by way of explanation as Freed turned to look at him curiously, and the Rune mage’s expression softened as he nuzzled against Bickslow’s head.

“Me too.” They sat like that as they continued to rise, pausing here and there to let people on and off the ride, gradually rising until they could see Magnolia stretching out around them. As they neared the top Bickslow straightened, determined to steal a kiss at the very top of the ride, but when he glanced down his mouth fell open before his expression softened. Freed was curled against him, fast asleep with a small smile still playing on his lips and the bear cradled against his front. There was no way he could wake him when he looked that peaceful and content, and with a sigh he pulled the younger man closer, pressing a light kiss into the green hair before smiling as Freed snuffled at him in his sleep, whatever disappointment he had felt at the missed kiss disappearing as he whispered softly.

“Thank you for today.”


End file.
